Third National Assembly at Troezen

From March to May 1827, the Third National Assembly of the Greek revolution met at Troezen, in the northeastern Peloponnese, near the island of Poros. It came at a critical moment. The revolution was close to collapse after the fall of Missolonghi and the advances of Ibrahim Pasha, and the Greeks were deeply divided into rival factions. The assembly had actually begun as two separate gatherings, held by competing groups, before they agreed to meet together at Troezen. Under pressure from the dire military situation, the delegates reached important compromises. They approved a new constitution, the Political Constitution of Greece, which was the most democratic and liberal of the revolutionary constitutions. It declared that sovereignty belonged to the nation, established a clear separation of powers, and protected individual rights, including freedom of the press. The assembly also appointed the British officers Richard Church and Thomas Cochrane to command the army and navy. Most importantly, it elected Ioannis Kapodistrias, a respected diplomat, as the first governor of Greece for a term of seven years, hoping he could unite the country.